Speakers

Charlotte Abbott coaches authors and agents on creative and results-driven applications of emerging e-publishing tools and services. Her workshops are grounded in her 20 years in the book industry, as a senior editor at Publishers Weekly and an acquiring editor at HarperCollins and Avon Books, as well as her fascination with digital reading and communities, which began with the first wave of e-books in 1999.

Find her on Twitter (@charabbott), where she moderates #followreader chats with industry innovators on Fridays from 4-5pm ET.

Maria Jesus Aguilo, a native of Spain, moved to California in 1993 after completing a professional publishing course at the University of Barcelona. In 1996 she joined Berrett-Koehler Publishers, where she is in charge of its subsidiary rights program. She attends several international book fairs a year, including Frankfurt, London, and Guadalajara, and over the years has negotiated and signed over 1,000 subsidiary rights contracts. Since the year 2000, she has been deeply involved in Berrett-Koehler’s transition to digital formats.

Patricia Arancibia is in charge of the acquisition of international digital content at Barnes & Noble, where she manages the relations with international corporations, publishers, and governmental agencies. Patricia was previously the Merchandising Manager in charge of eBooks, Nonfiction Books, and Libros en español at B&N.com, where she launched the eBooks Store and Libros en español online. She grew up in Buenos Aires, where she earned a degree in Communication Sciences and a Masters in Journalism, and went from reporter to senior editor in newspapers, magazines, TV, and websites. In New York, Patricia received a masters in Publishing at NYU, and became a book, ecommerce & digital business person.

Tracey Armstrong is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Copyright Clearance Center. With over 20 years experience in rights management and with CCC, she has led the transformation of the company’s global copyright licensing solutions to meet the needs of today’s digital publishing world, distributing over $1 billion to rightsholders.

Peter Balis is responsible for the account management, sales, distribution and business development of digital content for Wiley, which includes ebooks, enhanced products and mobile applications. Additionally, he is the co-chair of the AAP’s Digital Issues Working Group and teaches an advanced seminar at NYU’s Graduate Publishing Program.

Michael Cader is the creator of Publishers Lunch, the largest-circulation book publishing industry publication in the world, and its companion website PublishersMarketplace.com, which offers comprehensive news, databases, tools and more for book publishing professionals. For 15 years he created and produced over 300 books through his book packaging company, Cader Books.

John CrantAuthor, Career Coach & Speaker on Job Search and Career Management, Self Recruiter.com

As a recognized expert on Job Search and Career Management (as seen and featured in amNY, in The Wall Street Journal, on FINS.com (Resume Renovations, before and after), on CareerBuilder’s CBsalary.com, on The Ladders, in CRAIN’S New York Business, on FOX News, and many others), John shares the Secrets that Executive Recruiters Use to showcase and spotlight their candidates – secrets that you can use for yourself to be seen as a standout in your own job search and throughout your career.

Featured Speaker at The New York Public Library’s JOB SEARCH CENTRAL.
His book: Self-Recruiter®: Changing The Rules.

Part ninja, part circus act juggler, master of seppuku, & born into the book industry. Cameron feels blessed to have been in at Kobo on the ground floor, was happy he buckled his seatbelt before the rocket launched, and truly believes we’re living through the next great renaissance in reading. Mostly he has been responsible for coaxing Publishers into the Kobo-verse and continues to do so as Kobo expands outwards into the vast publishing galaxy. He loves talking to people, so please come say hi.

Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center along the way. Eisler’s bestselling thrillers have won the Barry Award and the Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller of the Year, have been included in numerous “Best Of” lists, and have been translated into nearly twenty languages. Eisler lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and, when he’s not writing novels, blogs about torture, civil liberties, and the rule of law. www.barryeisler.com

Elizabeth has worked at Guideposts for over a quarter century and has witnessed publishing change from hot type to cold type to no type. She’s worked in various positions, including subsidary rights, editorial, and production. She has an M.S. in Publishing from Pace University. She loves her Kindle.

Ellie Hirschhorn joined Simon & Schuster as Executive Vice President, Chief Digital Officer in February 2008. Before coming to Simon & Schuster, Ms. Hirschhorn was at College Sports Television Networks (CBS College Sports) where she was Executive Vice President, Digital Media.

Ms. Hirschhorn has served as EVP and Chief Operating Officer of MediaNet, and has held high-level positions in both traditional and digital media at Viacom, MTV Networks, and Showtime Networks, including as General Manager of MTV.com. She holds a BA from Yale and an MBA from Harvard and is a Henry R. Luce Scholar.

Rick is the Chief Marketing Officer of the Perseus Books Group, involved in growth and digital strategy development. Rick is a co-creator of Constellation, the industry leading one-stop digital solution for independent publishers. He was the force behind the Book:The Sequel at BEA 2009, the pioneering transmedia sensation Cathy’s Book, and enhanced projects like JFK:50 Days and Roots: The Enhanced Edition. Rick is a veteran of 20+ years in media, as a partner at Accenture, VP of Marketing at ASCAP, and a consultant at Booz Allen. Rick has a Dartmouth BA, a Columbia MBA, a New School MFA, and 5 children.

Peter is the Director of Digital Marketing and Strategy at W.W. Norton, working with the College, Trade and Professional divisions. Previously he was VP Product Development at MTV Networks, where he built the global music platform mtvmusic.com, bringing semantic and machine listening technologies into the platform. He can be found on twitter at @pkay225.

Cyrus is a veteran of the global book trade arena with over two decades of international sales, marketing and distribution experience. Before joining Random House in 2010, Cyrus held various international sales and marketing positions with Simon & Schuster, the former Time Warner Book Group, St. Martin’s Press, and Bantam Doubleday Dell.

Simon Lipskar is an agent at Writers House, a literary agency in New York. He represents a wide range of writers, including major authors in literary and commercial fiction, narrative nonfiction, and fiction for young readers.

Joe is the Chief Operating Officer of Perseus Books Group, where he oversees the Company’s physical and digital operations and helps set and execute the company’s strategy. During Joe’s tenure, Perseus has emerged as the leading services provider to independent publishers, with more than 350 publishing clients across the company’s three business lines: Perseus Distribution, PGW and Consortium.Joe has been with Perseus since 2004, prior to which he held managing director and principal positions with Razorfish and Booz Allen respectively, where he helped media companies pursue transformational opportunities. Prior to that, Joe worked as an independent computer consultant.

Charles Melcher is the founder and president of Melcher Media, Inc., an award-winning producer of books and digital media. Known for its high-quality content creation and innovative design, Melcher Media has over 10 million books in print and 20 New York Times bestsellers. Since its founding in 1995, Melcher Media has built a reputation as a world leader in helping companies, institutions and authors tell their stories. Melcher Media worked closely with Al Gore on An Inconvenient Truth and on creating the content for the Our Choice App. Other clients include Autodesk, Conde Nast, General Electric, Harley-Davidon, HBO, Lexus, and Nike.

Ed Nawotka is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives, an online magazine for the international publishing industry that has been called “the BBC of the book world.”

Prior to launching Publishing Perspectives, he worked as book columnist forBloomberg News and daily news editor of Publishers Weekly.

He has appeared as a guest on various television and radio programs, including those on NPR, PRI, BBC, and C-SPAN, and has lectured at numerous universities and institutions. He currently serves on the Advisory Council of the University of Texas Libraries.

Matt Norcross is the owner of McLean & Eakin Booksellers with his wife, Jessilynn Norcross. Since 2005, Matt has been a member of the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association Board of Dirrectors, having served as GLiBA’s treasurer and, most recently, vice president. He has also served on ABA’s Booksellers Advisory Council.

Christine is the owner of WORD, Greenpoint Brooklyn’s independent bookstore. Before opening the store in March of 2007, Christine operated a small bookshop on Long Island, after graduating with an English Degree and working in publishing for several years. WORD is a general-interest bookstore selling new books for both adults and children, with a thriving event program and online presence. Christine lives in Greenpoint with her husband and young son.

As Digital Manager at Random House Mondadori, Carmen Ospina oversees the group’s online marketing team and its digital program. She was involved in the creation and 2010 launch of Spain’s largest digital distribution platform, Libranda, a joint venture between RHM and other Spanish publishers, and currently sits in its operating committee. She oversees and coordinates all app projects with RHM’s publishing divisions and is responsible for contract negotiation and account relationships with new digital partners in Spain and internationally.

Jack W Perry has been in book-selling and publishing for more than 20 years and most recently started 38enso Publishing Services. He advises and consults publishers on a number of issues with a specific focus on digital strategy.Clients include Open Road; ESPN Books; Perseus; Abrams; Sideways; Turner; and Shambhala.

Steve Potash is President and CEO of OverDrive, Inc., a company that he founded in 1986. Under his leadership, OverDrive has become a leading global distributor of copyrighted eBooks and more for publishers, studios, and media producers in the US and abroad to a network of thousands of libraries, schools, and retailers worldwide.

Dominique Raccah is the CEO & publisher of Sourcebooks, the largest woman-owned trade book publisher in the country; producing everything from bestsellers in fiction, to number one titles in baby names and college guides, eighteen New York Times Bestsellers and over twenty national bestsellers. Sourcebooks’ publishing culture is one of innovation. This attitude led into pioneering a line of cutting edge, bestselling mixed-media titles (MediaFusion) and resulted in an early involvement in digital book projects, iPhone and iPad apps, enhanced eBooks and several exciting digital partnerships. Dominique also currently serves as co-chair of the Book Industry Study Group.

Charlie Redmayne is the Executive Vice President, Chief Digital Officer of HarperCollins, a subsidiary of News Corporation. He is responsible for the overall strategy, development and management of all digital initiatives aimed directly at the consumer across all of HarperCollins divisions. He reports to Brian Murray, President and Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide, and sits on the company’s executive committee. He was appointed to this newly created position in October, 2009.

Adam Salomone oversees The Harvard Common Press’ digital strategy, from ebook and mobile platform applications to development of new business partners online for the benefit of content distribution and acquisition.

He holds a BA in Communications, with a specialization in writing and publishing, from Emerson College in Boston.

Ronald Schild (40) joined MVB, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Börsenverein, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association in 2006. One of the key projects during his tenure as Managing Director was the successful launch of libreka!, the e-book platform of the German book trade. Before joining MVB Ronald Schild held various management positions in international media and IT companies. He holds degrees from University of Saarbrücken (Germany), Institut Commercial de Nancy (France) and University of Strathclyde (UK).

Shana SchneiderVP and CMO, Just the Right Book!, RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT

Shana N. Schneider is the VP and Chief Marketing Officer of Just the Right Book!, a startup offering a subscription based reading recommendation service and is affiliated with RJ Julia Booksellers. Schneider was previously the Deputy Director of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute, which helps Yale students start innovative, scalable new companies. Prior to her work at Yale, Schneider worked in television as a co-founder and producer for Agape Productions, a startup entertainment company, and TV Guide, where she worked on shows that aired on FOX, VH1, and Food Network. She is a board member of New Haven Reads.

Evan Schnittman is Managing Director Group Sales and Marketing, Print and Digital, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. He splits his time equally between Bloomsbury’s London and New York offices and is in charge of all sales, marketing, publicity, rights and technology across Bloomsbury’s group companies.

Evan is widely known in the industry as a thought leader – and is widely sought out to speak and write on the key issues facing content companies in a digital world. His blog, BlackPlasticGlasses, has become required reading for anyone wishing to understand book publishing in the digital age.

Lorraine Shanley is President of Market Partners International, a consulting firm that specializes in traditional and digital publishing in the US and internationally. One of the top recruiters in the industry, MPI also works with publishers, brands, cultural institutions and associations, and technology firms on various aspects of content development and distribution. Shanley is a member (and past president) of Women’s Media Group, and is on the Advisory Board of New York University’s Publishing Program and the board of Fourth Story Media, a New York-based web development company. She graduated from the University of Rochester and received her M.A. from the University of Virginia, where she serves on the Jefferson Fellowship selection committee.

Mike Shatzkin is the Founder & CEO of The Idea Logical Company and a widely-acknowledged thought leader about digital change in the book publishing industry. In his nearly 50 years in publishing, he has played almost all the roles: bookseller, author, agent, production director, sales and marketing director, and, for the past 30 years, consultant. His insights about how the industry functions and how it accommodates digital change form the basis of all of the company’s consulting efforts.

Tom Turvey is Director, Strategic Partnerships, in the Search Services group at Google in support of Google Books, Google Scholar, and other Google products digitizing magazines and newspapers. Google Books launched in October 2004 and now contains the searchable full-texts of more than 15 million books, over 2M contributed directly from over 30,000 of the world’s most important book publishers at http://books.google.com.

Turvey and his team were responsible for signing the majority of the world’s largest book publishers for Google Books and for striking the majority of relationships with journal publishers for Google Scholar. More recently, Turvey’s team added thousands of ebooks to Google’s new ebookstore which launched in December 2010. Lastly, Turvey is also responsible for Google’s library partnerships globally.

Len Vlahos is the Executive Director of the Book Industry Study Group, a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to creating a more informed, empowered and efficient book industry. Prior to joining BISG, Len spent nearly 20 years at the American Booksellers Association, serving in many roles, most recently as the Chief Operating Officer. Len has also worked for Internet marketing pioneer Yoyodyne, for Kratz & Co. public relations, and cut his teeth in the book industry working in independent, chain, and university bookstores.

Nina is overseeing the Digital Publishing Development Group at Random House Inc. Her team is comprised of the corporate digital product development teams that are focused on creating and bringing to market new digital experiences beyond the narrative text-based ebook formats as well as the Audio Group, Living Language, Reference, and Fodor’s Travel Guides – business lines that already derive a large part of their revenue from digital formats.

Andrew Weinstein joined Ingram Digital Ventures, the predecessor company to Ingram Digital, in September 2005. Previously, Mr. Weinstein spent five years at Lightning Source Inc., as Vice President of Channel and Publisher Development. Mr. Weinstein came to Lightning Source through the acquisition of JNMedia, Inc., a leading developer of publishing technology. Before co-founding JNMedia, Inc., Mr. Weinstein was an Associate Director at BMG Direct, where he managed the financial/marketing analytical group and developed many of the analytical models used to evaluate the music club membership’s purchasing trends. In addition, he actively contributed to and managed the development, measurement, and deployment of all new online initiatives. Mr. Weinstein received his B.A. in Economics from Brandeis University and his MBA in Finance and Marketing from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

David Wilk has broad experience in book publishing, sales, distribution, marketing and digital technologies.He operates Creative Management Partners, providing content creators and owners with a range of publishing services, including editorial, print and digital production, sales and marketing strategies, website development and consulting services. Websites include booktrix.com, livewriters.com, writerscast.com, prospectapress.com.

Wilk writes and speaks about the book industry. He is Director of Marketing for Good Business International (www.good-b.com) and a partner in Aerbook (www.aerbook.com) creating next generation ebooks for tablets and smartphones.

Current and recent clients include publishers, authors, thought leaders, corporations and nonprofits.